A Four-Day Work Week Culture: Pros and Cons

A four-day workweek seems like a dream, but it may soon become a reality. Panasonic, a leading Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation, is providing employees with the choice to opt for a four-day workweek to reduce stress, “freeing those up to take side jobs, volunteer, or just relax” – as well as to promote upskilling, attract talent, and increase worker productivity and happiness.

Pros and Cons of the Four-Day Workweek

Pros:

1. Enhanced Workflow

The work goes well as employees do not miss the flow of work or become tempted to leave home quickly because they work long hours in a row. They are given sufficient time to accomplish the project or task on the same day rather than defer it to the following day. Besides, employees miss the flow of work when there are fewer hours on the clock and they become distracted. As a result, having a full day of work inspires the worker to complete the assignment on the same day with complete focus.

2. Work Productivity Increases

Employees who are overworked and burned out by Friday afternoon will benefit greatly from a three-day weekend. On Monday mornings, you’ll regularly hear individuals say things like, “I need just one more day off,” and research suggests they’re probably right.

In addition, employees may feel better and more content as a result of spending less time at work, allowing them to focus on their tasks when they are there. With only four days in the workplace, meetings are more productive, and procrastination is reduced. Employees are also well-rested in order to meet their weekly objectives.

3. Reduced Fuel Usage

The environment has become extremely contaminated as a result of increased traffic and polluting cars around the country. Global warming is on the rise, so employees who work fewer hours have less time to travel, which reduces their carbon impact. Moreover, the majority of employees drive their own cars or use various modes of transportation, contributing to numerous types of pollution, such as air pollution, noise pollution, and fuel waste. As a result, a three-day work off helps to minimize pollution while also reducing fuel waste and lowering fuel costs.

4. Happier Employees

With this benefit, employees can spend time with family and friends, take a brief city trip, or even pursue a personal interest with a three-day weekend. Further, employees over four-day workweeks have more time to focus on personal development or spend time with family. Furthermore, being in the company of family or friends naturally improves one’s quality of life and well-being, which is the most crucial part of everyone’s life. This will not only make employees happier, but it will also help them burn out less, allowing them to be more concentrated and happy in their jobs.

5. Improved Hiring and High Retention

Currently, there are a lot of jobs available as well as a lot of competition in the entire market. You’ll be more likely to maintain your talent pool for a longer period of time, in addition to the advantages of greater production and happier employees. This means no recruitment stress and the opportunity to build strong bonds with a dedicated team. Consequently, providing a flexible work schedule to potential and existing employees is an unparalleled method to recruit and retain skilled experts.

Cons:

1. Stress Might Reduce the Efficiency of Work

Despite the fact that the days have changed from five to four, the work time can remain the same in some companies, i.e. 40 hours per week. Due to this, the respective employee may be pressed to complete a task in four days or less. And employees who are anxious are more likely to leave tasks incomplete or reduce the accuracy of tasks.

Overall, a four-day workweek will not be a pleasant approach to implement for every employee in the company and may disturb an employee’s personal life. People who work a four-day week are more likely to arrive home late and become irritated when their daily routine is pushed to the weekend. After hours, all employees may have personal responsibilities to attend to. Employees may have a big to-do list, and most of the compensatory work hours would be lost waiting for the departure from the workplace, making a three-day weekend stressful.

2. Routine Disturbances May Also Occur

Parents with younger children, in particular, may find it difficult to spend time with their children, and they are also forced to feed their children late at night. As they return home late in the evenings, some employees may have difficulty locating daycare centers for their children.

Not only could children skip dinners, but working parents could skip it as well as they arrive late at home. And might be too exhausted to cook late at night. In addition, working extra hours has a very high chance of generating a disruption in their personal lives, which is one of the major disadvantages of a four-day workweek.

3. Not all Industries Favour the Four-Day Week Plan

A lot of businesses would have to change the way they conduct operations to generate the desired results. Unfortunately, not every industry benefits from the four-day workweek approach. Some industries or professions necessitate a constant presence, making a shorter work week impractical and, in some situations, causing work to be delayed, resulting in longer delivery times.

Lastly, not only do you need happy staff to have a job, but you also need pleased clients and consumers. Working shifts might overlap along with the overlapping in shifts that is 24/7 working activities due to the 10-hour working shift. For example, to cover a 24-hour period, an employee must work three 10-hour shifts, resulting in overlapped shifts.

As a result, for most businesses that operate around the clock, a four-day workweek is inconvenient because it disrupts the entire work schedule.

Conclusion

A four-day workweek has its own set of pros and cons that we’ve alluded to above. Regardless of the fact that the shortened workweek is proving to be successful in many European countries, it is still an intensive approach for a business to take. This is because the employer, as well as the employees, need a mindset shift to work effectively, and hence, it might not be for everyone.

Even though a more adaptable approach to working hours is expected from employees, a less disruptive and more steady approach would be to harness a hybrid working policy instead.

If a company thinking of adopting the four-day model, the best thing it can do is to take suggestions from its employees. It must learn what they believe and set reasonable expectations for them. Let them know that it won’t be all fun and play and that they can expect the same amount of work but a shorter deadline.

If most of them are hesitant about this model, then consider implementing a more flexible working policy. You can improve your employees’ physical and mental health in a variety of ways if you’re able to curate a work policy that they would prefer.